New Chemical
EOR Processes for Oil Prices Even at $20/bbl or Less
Shuler,
Patrick J.1 (1) ChemEOR, Inc, La Verne, CA
Two new chemical EOR processes are
available for field deployment that can be economic even at oil prices that are
$20/bbl or less, and of course have very attractive economics in the current
high oil price environment. In addition, both of these EOR methods may be
performed on an individual well basis, and hence can be applied and optimized
at a low cost in a short time before initiating larger projects. When applied
correctly, both of these chemical EOR methods require only a few dollars of
chemical cost for each incremental barrel of oil recovered.
One of these processes is surfactant EOR
in fractured carbonate reservoirs. Customized chemical formulations can be
applied at producers in a soaking process to stimulate recovery of oil normally
trapped in the rock matrix. The added chemical allows the water-phase to
penetrate into the matrix and not just move within the fracture system. The same
formulation may be added to the injection water to treat an entire pattern of
the reservoir.
A second new low cost EOR method is using
Pre-formed Particle Gel (PPG) for improved conformance control. Suspensions of
particles swell in the injection water will plug preferentially high
permeability watered-out channels. Subsequent injection water will be forced
into previously unswept tighter zones and recover additional oil. The PPG
technology has decided advantages over current so-called bulk gel technology.
AAPG Search and Discover Article #90063©2007 AAPG Annual Convention, Long Beach, California